Side effects of CPAP, is there a list?

[ElleCee]

I have been up all night with dreadful pains, it is like I have a tight band around my diaphragm. More disconcerting is that I have very very bad diarrhoea.
The hospital I was was half closed because of the Norovirus but I have looked that up and it includes projectile vomiting and I haven't had that symptom. (yet?)
My tummy is really noisy and I think the pain is due to swallowed air but is diarrhoea part of it too?
Is there any way I can stop swallowing the air?
I cant use the machine cos I cant sleep so now I feel worse than ever.
Any advice?
Thanks
Lorraine

[James @ Intus]

Hi Lorraine,

Sorry to hear about your experience so far.

Diarrhoea has never been mentioned before. Sure, bloating and swallowing air, excess gas etc. can be part of it for people initially but the diarrhoea sounds more like the Norovirus you mentioned. Hopefully that will go soon, I understand it tends to last just a few days. You may as well take it easy on the CPAP until then. Don't feel bad if you only manage a few hours initially.

The help with the air swallowing, you can prop up the head end of the bed. Also make sure you get reular exercise, so your lungs get used to taking in more air. Also check your machine has comfort settings like exhalation relief enabled. This can further make it easier to breathe.

Which machine did they give you?

Of course, do check in with the clinic staff and liaise with them.

[ElleCee]

Hi James,
Thanks for the reply,
The machine I have is an Escape 11 EPR S8

I have no idea what the settings are as I am too scared to touch anything incase I mess it up and cant get it back to where they set it at the hospital.

Is it a good machine?

Last night I went to sleep at 12:30 with it on but woke at 2:30 with tummy pains. I did notice that my mouth was wet so I tried sleeping with it off for a short while. 4:30 woke again and put it back on but I turned down the dehumidifier to 2 and slept again until 6:30am and have woken with only slight tummy pains so maybe too much moisture made me swallow more air?

As it is Sunday I thought I would treat myself to another nap after I have taken all my asthma meds

One of the strangest things about all this is not waking up every 30 mins for a wee! what is that all about?

Regards
Lorraine

[James @ Intus]

Yeah, that's a decent machine.

CPAP machines generally have two access levels. Press any button right now and you are in the "patient menu". There's nothing you can mess up in this menu.

Press a super-special combination of buttons, often involving pressing for multiple seconds, and you enter a hidden "clinican menu". It's hard ot get in if you don't know the sequence, so you don't have to be afraid this wil lhappen easily. Just don't press mutliple buttons for longer than a few seconds at the same time.

If you stick to single and short button pressing, nothing can go wrong.

you can also look up the patient manual on resmed.co.uk and check what comfort settings may be available to you. But as always, best to do this with the blessing of your sleep clinic.

With the humidifier tweaks, you are already finding the right balance for yourself. And no getting up for a toilet break is a great first sign of CPAP doing its job. The need to wee often is a classic sign of OSA. If that goes, OSA is under largely control. So well done! You'll get there, it just takes a few nights to get used to and to get the balance right between sleeping positions, humidifier settings, strap tightness, any accessories you may have etc.

[ElleCee]

Hi,
Thanks for the advice. I haven't yet been to the clinic and all I remember the doctor saying was that they had preset the machine for me so I have no idea what it is set at.
I will keep it as it is until I go to the clinic in 3 weeks time. I am sure that by then I will have a 100 questions for them!
You mentioned a chin strap, does it stop you swallowing air when asleep? Would/could/should my clinic provide it? Where do I get one and how do I know what one to get?
I presume that I normally breathe through my mouth when asleep as I always used to have a very dry mouth every time I woke in the night. Is it possible to train yourself to breathe through your nose?

I am sorry I have so many questions.

When the doctor gave me all this equipment and info he was about to go on holiday and had a clinic to finish as well. so he was in rather a rush.

Thanks
Lorraine

[sokar90805]

I have been on CPAP for about 3 years now(Resmed with nose pillows) and I still have a problem with swallowing air/bloating. I always sleep on my side and that does not seem a problem. Open to suggestions.

[Berneta]

Air

Hi, have you tried a chin strap? I have the same problem now and then--and a chin strap helps stop it. Mostly it happens if I have a stuffy nose. (Which lucky for me I don't have often.) For me its cause is mouth breathing and having my pillow too high. Berneta

[Sparticus]

Sorry

Sorry to sound quite rude but a good fart usually works or if your having trouble and if you can bare it drink something fizzy, it usualy sets of the desired effect. Bloating is caused my head position and the way to stop it from happening is to lower your chin towards your chest, this stops it. I sleep with no or little pillows and this is why I get it alot, use more pillows to raise your head and lower your chin this will stop it from happening.

[Berneta]

Pillows

High pillows don't lower my chin because I am a side sleeper, and all they do is elevate my head and upper chest area. I think lowering my chin would cut off my airflow since the air goes in my nose and down my throat to my lungs. I guess we are all different and have different ways of copeing with things. I just try everything that people suggest-- if I have a certain problem. Sooner or later I find the answer to deal with it. Berneta

[Sparticus]

L.O.L.

Thats the official advise I was quotting there and the reason why I still get bloatting. its pants advise cos it dont work, maybe done by a non sufferer. Anyways the head is lowered into the chest to block the air from going into the stomach, I guess some of us will just have to suffer.

[Berneta]

Hot Air

Hi Graham, maybe you should find a heavy scuba weight belt to put on your tummy while you sleep? (Or a pretty girl) It might keep the air out. Do you swallow air while sleeping on your tummy? Of course it might just be simpler to go to the store, and get some Simethicone tabs or capsules--sold without a prescription, and sold under various names like Gas-X--Anti-Gas--Rid-Gas, etc. They do work. Get rid of most of the air that goes into the stomach--helps relieve belching, bloating, pain, and ermm "wind". xx Berneta

[Sparticus]

Hi Graham, maybe you should find a heavy scuba weight belt to put on your tummy while you sleep? (Or a pretty girl) It might keep the air out. Do you swallow air while sleeping on your tummy? Of course it might just be simpler to go to the store, and get some Simethicone tabs or capsules--sold without a prescription, and sold under various names like Gas-X--Anti-Gas--Rid-Gas, etc. They do work. Get rid of most of the air that goes into the stomach--helps relieve belching, bloating, pain, and ermm "wind". xx Berneta

I gave up hen, now I just suffer kind of got use too it and yes we have things called "Windies"

[shuckie]

Hi ElleCee!

I have the same machine that you do, and it has taken me a while to get used to the CPAP treatment.

It sounds as though the pressure may be set too high causing you to swallow air in your sleep. You could try taking one or two wind-relief tablets - such as the Simethicone ones already mentioned - shortly before going to bed. This should help to reduce the stomach bloating.

If the above doesn't help you could make an appointment to take your CPAP back to the clinic and have the pressure reduced slightly. As long as the pressure is still high enough to keep your airway open while you're asleep you should find that the bloating is reduced.

Please let us know how you get on.


Cheers

shuckie x

[ChrissieH]

Well this post made me smile! Haven't had wind yet, but did read elsewhere that it could be a problem. Looks like lots of people have windies

Found this amusing too.